ITU opens its arms to academia as first universities admitted to participate in work of the Sectors

Geneva, 14 January 2011 — ITU today welcomed
the first 12 academic institutions admitted to
participate in Sector activities under a new Resolution
which encourages the involvement of universities and
their associated research establishments in the work of
the Union.

Algeria’s Institut National des Télécommunications et
des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication
(INTTIC) and Tunisia’s Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de
Tunis (ENIT)both join the work of all three ITU Sectors
– Radiocommunication (ITU-R), Telecommunication
Standardization (ITU-T), and Development (ITU-D).

China’s Nanjing University of Posts and
Telecommunications (NUPT) and Beijing-based Tsinghua
University join the work of ITU-R and ITU-T.

Waseda University, Japan, Tunisia’s University of
Sfax and Ecole Supérieure des Communications de Tunis,
India’s Sinhgad Technical Education Society and Aalborg
University’s Center for Teleinfrastruktur in Denmark,
join the work of ITU-T.

The Kigali Institute for Science and Technology in
Rwanda, the Open University of Tanzania, and Bucks New
University, UK, all join the work of ITU-D.

Speaking at a special ceremony to welcome the new
arrivals, ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré said
academia would bring a fresh new voice to the work of
ITU’s three Sectors. “We are excited about the important
contribution academic institutions will make to
enriching ITU’s breadth of knowledge in key emerging
areas,” he said. “These institutions are the seed-beds
that nurture the rising stars of tomorrow’s ICT
industry, be they engineers or business leaders. Their
unique perspective will help ITU remain at the forefront
of the industry it serves.”

The welcome ceremony also featured two distinguished
professors, Professor Obi of Waseda University, Japan,
and Professor Mellor of the United Kingdom
Telecommunications Academy (UKTA), who were named by Dr
Touré as ITU’s new Special Envoys for Academia.

Representing a major step forward in broadening ITU’s
membership base, Resolution 169 (Admission of academia,
universities and their associated research
establishments to participate in ITU’s work)
specifically provides for reduced membership costs for
academic institutions. Fees are set at CHF 3,975, or
1/16 of the value of the Sector Member contributory
unit, for institutions from developed countries; and
CHF1,987.50, or 1/32 of the value of the Sector Member
contributory unit, for institutions from developing
countries.

Participating in the work of ITU Sectors will give
academic and research institutions the opportunity to
exchange views, knowledge and experiences with a
multiplicity of actors from the developed and developing
worlds, and from the public and private sectors. It also
provides new opportunities for institutions to develop
mutually-beneficial partnerships with manufacturers,
operators, financial institutions, other research
institutions, and public authorities from across ITU’s
192 Member States.

Academic institutions will have the chance to play an
active part in the ongoing activities of ITU’s Sectors
and to influence the emergence of new technologies and
standards. Their participation in ITU meetings, seminars
and workshops will also enable them to enlarge the scope
of their work beyond purely technical and commercial
concerns, to embrace wider issues in the ICT public
policy and regulatory arena.

Subject to an initial four-year trial period,
Resolution 169 allows academic institutions to
participate in the work of any or all three Sectors
until the next Plenipotentiary Conference in 2014.

Under the terms of the Resolution, academic
institutions wishing to join one or more ITU Sectors
must be supported by the Member State of the Union to
which they belong, and must not replace bodies currently
listed with the Union as Sector Members or Associates.

A report by ITU’s governing Council, based on an
evaluation of the three Sector Advisory Groups, will be
submitted to the next Plenipotentiary Conference in
2014, to enable a final decision to be taken on academic
participation in the work of the Union.